Oct 29 day 59 Waiopehu Hut 0 km

The wind and rain continued hard through the night and into the morning. Woke to zero visibility and the trail looked like a stream. I’m not sure whether the weather here might often be more extreme, given the altitude and exposure, but people do occasionally note in the log that it was sunny, so this might not be typical. Decided to sit tight for now to see how it all unfolds. Wish I had gotten more coffee. As the day progressed I alternated between warming up in my sleeping bag and sitting at the table watching the downpour. I remembered I had some bullion cubes in my food flavor bag, so while reading of English exploration of the Arctic, I drank steaming cups of beef tea. The weather remained constant all day, though the wind dropped around 4:00 even as the rain picked up. Hoping that is a signal of some change in what has been a changeless day. Soon the rain stopped and I could see from the windows what first seemed a mirage– faint houses, fields, roads– then the clouds lifted somewhat and I could see Levin down in the flatland. Could almost pick out the campground. But the weather was not finished. Soon more rain came in, just before the clouds lifted completely and the wind began to blow from another direction. Incredibly hard and cold. Got into my sleeping bag glad it was rated to 30 degrees F.